Never Forget
by HopelessRomantic45
Summary: During their last battle as Rangers, Dr. O is killed trying to save Kira and Elsa. The Rangers fight on, but when the battle is over, Kira can't forget the man she swore she loved.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers in any way, only this idea

Author's Note: Hi all! I'm back, with a new PR Story :) This one is Dino Thunder, my first ever. So please leave some comments and let me know what you think

Summary: AU, During their last battle as Rangers, Dr. O is killed trying to save Kira and Elsa. The Rangers fight on, but when the battle is over, Kira can't forget the man she was falling in love with.

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"Kira, get Elsa!" a voice called out through the dark bridge of the zord.

The yellow dino ranger did as she was told, shooting down the vines that held the woman up against a pole. Elsa collapsed into Kira's arms from sheer weakness, and Kira had to use all her strength to keep the woman upright.

She turned to watch as Dr. O matched Zeltrax point for point. The black ranger jumped and kicked his opponent straight in the chest, sending him backwards into the wall. Zeltrax slumped over, and Dr. O ran over to the two girls waiting for him.

"You alright?" he asked Elsa. The woman nodded her head. "Let's get out of here."

Kira let Elsa put some of her body weight against her own, and they started for the exit when Zeltrax jumped to his feet again.

"You're not going anywhere." With a swing of his sword, he launched himself forward at the three heroes. Dr. O jumped in front of the girls and blocked Zeltrax's attack.

"Go! I'm right behind you!"

Elsa started to move, but Kira stayed, watching as the two men in black caused sparks between their weapons. She had come to help, and that was what she was going to do.

"Kira!" The black ranger put his strength into holding Zeltrax's sword so he could look over at the yellow ranger. "Get Elsa out!"

Kira nodded and grabbed Elsa's hand before they both jumped out of the zord. Trent threw the last triptoid to the ground and let out a breath. "You got out!" Elsa released her hold around the yellow ranger and turned to watch the zord. "Where's Dr. O?"

"He said he was right behind us." Kira turned to watch the zord too. Seconds seemed like hours. It was horrible, watching the one spot where her friend and leader should have been coming out. What if something happened? What if Dr. O was hurt?

Kira didn't want to admit it, but something had been happening between her and the mentor of the group. She felt…protective of him. And more so than the father she had seen him as since the beginning of this journey. She didn't want to lose him. That was too scary to even imagine. But there was something that was fueling her urge to keep him safe, and she wasn't fully sure what it was.

"Kira! Something isn't right." The voice came from her helmet link with the boys, snapping Kira out of her thoughts. . It was Ethan, who was still up in the Mezodon. "Dr. O isn't responding. We don't know what's going on, and we can't attack if he's still inside!"

"Just wait! He said he would be…"

But Kira's words were silenced by a deafening explosion. All faces turned toward the sky as Zeltrax's zord careened to the ground, already on fire. The metal contraption hit the concrete and exploded, sending scraps of metal and red flames spewing across the city.

For a moment, just a split second of time, everything was silent. Then there was screaming. Kira felt like her mind had just been shrouded in fog. She fell to her knees, unaware that she had demorphed, as had Trent.

Tears splashed down Kira's face and landed on her hands, which were clenched against the ground. Trent tried to calm Elsa, who was bucking and kicking against his hold on her. Kira wanted to just slap duck tape over her mouth; this was not the time to scream bloody murder.

A minute later, Ethan and Connor appeared, out of their ranger suits as well. Elsa had fallen quiet against Trent's shoulder. They stood over Kira, glancing between her and themselves, trying to decide what to do.

Kira could feel them watching her as kept silent and still. She couldn't feel her legs anymore, nor the tears that were still falling down her face. The fog thickened, and the yellow ranger couldn't even make out if her own voice was saying the same word over and over again: no.

"There's a chance…" Ethan started, but his voice fell.

No one asked him to continue, and no one told him it couldn't be true. Kira slowly found her footing, and began to walk. Connor and Trent both yelled after her, but she only barely heard them, the explosion of loss still ringing in her ears.


	2. Chapter 2

He had told her to get Elsa and that was what she did. He said to leave without him, and she had obeyed.

'And look where it got him' Kira thought bitterly, 'buried under a zord.'

The remains of Dr. O's final battle lay before the yellow ranger. Metal curled and burned around itself, creating a flaming junkyard. Kira could make out the head of Zeltrax's zord, but that seemed to be the largest surviving part.

Kira lowered herself to her knees, eyes focused on the remains, her heart slowly breaking. The oldest living Power Ranger, and one of the best. Her leader, mentor, one of her friends. And in two minutes, he was tone, taken forever. How could this be happening?

The pile of metal shifted, and a bar rolled down in front of Kira. It was still tinted with red heat. Kira felt herself reaching to pick it up, wanting to at least feel something…

"Kira!" Trent's voice called her back to reality. The boys and Elsa ran over, and both Conner and Trent helped Kira up. Kira tried to throw their hands off, not wanting to be touched. Conner let go, knowing better than to mess with the yellow ranger. But Trent held tight and turned Kira to face him.

"You aren't alone in this. We lost him too."

Kira looked into Trent's eyes and saw the somber glaze over his pupils. She turned her head to Conner and Ethan, who shared a similar look. Kira couldn't look at Elsa, anger flaring up at the sole reason Dr. O had jumped into the zord in the first place.

"Don't pull away." Trent's voice was quiet and soothing. "We need to stick together."

For the second time that day, tears prickled at Kira's eyes. She was embarrassed by pushing her other friends away. But if she let herself break down, let them all talk about the good times, that would mean that he was really gone.

The tears fell harder, and Trent pulled Kira close to him. Kira couldn't make her arms hug Trent back, but felt some kind of comfort knowing that he was there for her.

The flames shifted another pile of metal, sending sparks flying. Kira couldn't see the heap, but heard the scraps tumble down to the ground. It was when Elsa gasped and yelled out that Kira swung her head around to look.

The sun glinted off the black ball as it rolled across the ground. Kira's eyes followed it as it came to rest at her feet, almost as if it had been told to. Trent squeezed Kira's shoulder. Ethan opened his mouth, trying to say something, but the computer whiz was speechless.

"Dr. O," Kira whispered. Her throat felt tight and dry for not having used it since she had left the zord.

The yellow ranger bent over to pick up the black helmet. As her skin touched the plastic, she could see Dr. O looking at her, telling her to get Elsa out. She saw him when he had been unable to dimorph. And most of all, when she had helped him sort through old files and old memories.

Kira couldn't decide if she wanted to drop kick the helmet or put it in a box and keep it on display in the lab. But Trent made the decision for her.

"What's that?"

He reached over Kira's shoulder and pulled out a slip of paper. His face registered confusion and a little bit of shock. Kira grabbed the note out of her teammate's hand and read it for herself.

"Haley knows everything."

"What's there to know?" Kira wondered as Ethan took the paper from her. "I thought he told us everything…"

"And why was that in his helmet?" Ethan asked no one in particular. "It can't have been sitting there all year. He had to have just put it in before…"

He didn't need to finish for them to know what he meant.

"Let's ask," Conner lifted his wrist and pressed the button on his morpher. "Haley? Are you there?"

"I'm here." Haley's voice answered, and it sounded cracked and faded.

"What's going on? Do you know why we're asking you?"

"I have a pretty good feeling that it has to do with a note inside Tommy's helmet."

"What could you know that we don't?" Kira asked out loud. She was disturbed by the fact that Dr. O was still keeping secrets from them. She had thought he had finally gotten over it.

"I can't tell you…"

"What?!" Kira exclaimed.

"Over the communicator," Haley finished, a slight edge to her voice. "It's too personal to tell you now. You need to come back to the lab."

Kira opened her mouth, ready to argue, but Conner spoke first.

"We'll be there soon."

"She should have told us now!" Kira yelled.

"No, she shouldn't. You really want to hear Dr. O's big secret over a morpher?" Conner asked her quietly.

Kira thought it over, and realized he was right. Her need to hear the truth had overshadowed her reason. She sighed and nodded to the boys.

"Let's get going."

They turned to leave the flaming metal behind when a loud screech and scraping filled the silent. All heads turned to see the pile moving. Kira's heart nearly stopped as the metal lifted higher. But it actually did stop when she saw the glowing eyes of Dr. O's former colleague.

"Zeltrax!" Conner and Trent exclaimed at the same time.

"He's not the only one," Another voice hissed. Kira turned to see Mesagog standing before them. "And this time, you will get what you deserve!"

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Thanks for all the reviews guys! Great to know this is getting looked at! Please leave some comments, and I'll get another chapter up as fast as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

"No…"

"…way!"

Zeltrax and Mesagog both laughed at the dumbfounded look on the Ranger's faces.

"Haley, I think it's gonna take us a little while to get to the lab." Conner spoke into his morpher.

"I can see that," The woman's voice responded. "Do this for Tommy."

The four teens lowered themselves into a fighting position, facing the two menacing evils. Mesagog let out what sounded like a growl.

"This will be more fun if I show you what your dino gems give me the power to do."

Zeltrax began to cackle as Mesagog raised his hands, and a strange green glow covered his entire body. His face grew and lengthened, his arms and legs swelled, and his body grew taller. The new Mesagog carried a long, slender neck and twice the amount of scales and talons as before.

"Not cool." Conner muttered. "You guys ready?"

"Ready!"

"Dino Thunder! Power Up! Hah!"

"White Ranger Dino Power!

With a flash of light, the four teens were once again rangers. Kira ran at the two monsters first, digging her feet into the ground and jumping over Mesagog's head. She threw her arm out and attacked with a Ptera grip. When her feet hit the ground, Kira threw out punch after punch, using bottled up fury to end the monster's life once and for all.

"Go Kira!" Ethan called out.

So intent on watching the female ranger, the boys almost missed Zeltrax sneaking up on them from behind. Conner wielded his saber and caught Zeltrax's blow. Trent kicked Zeltrax away, and Ethan pulled out his blaster and aimed two shots at the monster's head.

Kira yelled out as Mesagog's tail hit her square in the chest and she fell to the ground. Trent back flipped over and slashed at the monster. Mesagog caught Trent across the head and knocked him to the ground.

The yellow ranger jumped to her feet and ran in front of Trent as Mesagog released a lightning attack on the white ranger. Kira screamed as fire surrounded her and pain shot throughout her entire body.

"Kira!" Trent gasped, looking up as the girl fell to the ground in a heap. Trent crawled over, moving slowly from the spinning of his head. Mesagog reared back to attack again, but Conner caught the monster by the stomach and pushed him back.

"Why did you do that?" Trent asked as Kira lay curled on the ground.

"I can't lose…you too." Kira muttered. She groaned again, and her morph finally gave out. Trent got to his feet, and lifted Kira into his arms. He checked to see he wouldn't be hit from behind and hurried around the corner.

"Stay here, we've got it." Trent set the girl down and leaned her against a fence. He ran a gloved hand over her hair as Kira began to cough.

"One ranger down already," Zeltrax spoke tauntingly, standing over the ranger's shoulder. Trent jumped up and swung his sword, matching Zeltrax while also pushing him away from the injured girl. Kira turned slowly to watch the battle.

Ethan and Conner attacked Mesagog from opposite sides, both sending a kick followed by a slash of their sword. Mesagog stumbled forward, but regained his footing and turned to spit lighting at them. The boys were thrown in the air and landed five feet back.

Trent and Zeltrax continued in their heated battle, neither dealing a blow, but neither giving up. The white ranger growled in frustration and threw his sword down hard. Zeltrax spun and hit Trent in the side. Trent yelled and stumbled backwards.

Conner was first to get back on his feet. He grasped at the wound in his side and watched as Mesagog leered towards them.

"We need something else."

"Already ahead of you!" Ethan called into the communication link as he sped past on his hovercraft cycle. Laser blasts filled the air, but Mesagog was barely fazed. Ethan took a sharp corner and came back around for the second time. The shots hit Mesagog, but not before he could throw out a lightning attack. Ethan and the bike went skidding across the ground.

"Kira, come in." Haley spoke. "First, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Kira muttered, hissing as she jostled her body to lift her wrist. "What's up?"

"I have something for you guys. Dr. O said it was made for a special moment, and I have a feeling this is it. If you wait a minute, it'll show up. I think you're the best person to run it."

"How did he know this was going to happen?" Kira asked, bewildered that their leader would have a weapon ready just in case.

"I can't get into full details, but he had a whole plan ready, Kira. He knew it would have to end eventually, so he gave me some special orders. The blaster should be there about now."

A yellow light appeared in front of Kira, and as it faded away, Kira could see what looked like the Z-Rex blaster, except larger and more complicated.

"You have to use the power of your dino gems in the Super Thunder Blaster. But this is a one-time thing. Once you take a shot, it will use up almost all of the energy. So use it wisely."

"Thanks, Haley." Kira painfully started to get to her feet, keeping an eye on the battle that was still at hand.

"Triassic Ranger!" Conner yelled. "Battelized Mode!" Conner felt strength course through him as his suit elongated. "Cannons!" The red ranger flew up in the air and sent down missiles upon Mesagog. As Conner landed again, a wave of heat hit his back from the explosion.

"I think that did it," Ethan told his teammate.

Trent threw another slash at Zeltrax and kicked him in the stomach. Zeltrax flew backwards, and the white ranger turned and ran to join his team.

"We still have Zeltrax to deal with," Trent reminded them. Suddenly the pile of metal shifted, and two boxes hurtled into the sky. Mesagog appeared again, laughing at his entrance.

"No!" Conner and Ethan gasped.

"Guys, over here, quick!" Kira called. The boys came running, and stopped short when they saw Kira standing before the new blaster.

"What's that?" Ethan asked, his interest perked.

"The Super Thunder blaster. We have to use our dino gem power. And it's a one shot deal, if we miss, then we won't have any more power to try it again. So let's get it right."

Kira stood in front of the blaster, which curved out so that two people stood on each side of the semi-circle. Trent stepped next to the yellow ranger, and the other boys stood opposite them.

"Kira, you need to morph!" Haley yelled frantically. "You could get hurt worse if you don't!"

"I want to see them die," Kira growled angrily. "Hey, ugly monsters!"

Mesagog and Zeltrax both turned, and upon seeing the rangers with a new weapon, began to walk over with interest.

"You guys ready?" Kira exclaimed.

"Not until you morph," Trent told her.

"No! I will not!"

"Kira, come on!" Ethan tried to reason. The monsters drew closer, and the boys looked between themselves, knowing that Kira would not give in to their request.

"We're ready," Conner finally sighed.

"I call upon the power of the gem!" Kira practically screamed. She closed her eyes and pictured Dr. O smiling at all of them before pushing down on the blaster and snapping her eyes open again. The gun glowed red, then blue, then yellow, and then finally a blazing white. It turned to a dark black, and then fired a stream of colors at the two nearing evils.

Mesagog and Zeltrax were stopped in their tracks, and the blast turned them a deep red that seemed to grow and grow as more energy was pushed into the monsters.

All of the rangers held up their hands to shield from the heat and light. Kira felt her head spin as the ranger power was slowly drained from her. She swayed, and felt Trent's hand on her shoulder.

"Kira, don't forget me." A voice whispered through the wind. Kira was sobbing before she could even register who had spoken. Kira fell into a heap on the ground, her shoulders wracking with tears and her breath short. He was gone, he was really gone.

The energy was finally at maximum, and both Mesagog and Zeltrax were blown into oblivion. The after blast blew past all the rangers, but Kira felt it the hardest. She let her body go limp, and the wave of energy threw her to the ground. Her head made a loud thud, and then everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

"Kira. Kira…"

The girl stirred, her hands coming up to rub her eyes, and her body relaxing into what felt like a feather mattress.

"Wake up, I need to tell you something."

Now Kira's eyes snapped open. She sat up, revealing she was in a purely white room, with no doors and a small window on the ceiling. It seemed small, maybe the size of a bathroom, and had just the right amount of lighting. There was only her on the bed, and the man in front of her sitting in a hard-backed chair.

"Am I dead?"

"No."

"Then, how…what are _you_ doing here? You…and me…"

"Yes, I died, Kira. And I was able to bring your spirit here to talk. You will have to leave in a few minutes. I can't tell you everything; Haley has to do that. But I want you to know one thing that she doesn't know."

"And what's that?"

"That you are much more important to me than I ever let on."

Kira stared blankly at her teacher. Dr. O got to his feet and began to pace at the foot of the bed.

"It was weird, becoming a teacher. I never planned for that to happen. It was a way for me to get as far away as possible from Mercer and Smitty, and what we had done. And then the three of you found my lab, and I didn't want anything to do with the Power Rangers."

"You? But…it's your life!"

"Exactly. I could never get away from it. I had made friends, yes, but I had lost so many more. And all the constant battles, they don't do well on the body. But even worse was being your mentor, because I don't know how mine put up with me. Teenagers are one thing I will never understand."

"Then why did you stay?"

Now Dr. O looked up and stared deeply into Kira's eyes.

"Because you didn't want to stay either."

Kira opened her mouth to say something, but her body began to feel light as air, and she started to float.

"What's happening?"

"I'll call you back again."

"Dr. O! No, I want to stay!" The girl twisted and turned, trying to return her body to the bed.

"Listen to what Haley says, and do whatever she tells you. It'll be okay."

Kira was able to get one last glimpse of Dr. O's smile before she heard a small pop and everything was black again.

00000000000000000000000000

"I can't believe she would do that…"

"Just because he's gone, it doesn't mean…"

"We lost him too!"

"Quiet, guys! She's coming too."

Kira heard the rush of footsteps and she slowly opened her eyes. The lights overhead caused her to groan and blink, but she was able to sit up and look at Haley and her teammates.

"Do you remember what happened?" Haley asked the girl.

"I remember_ too_ much…" Kira mumbled, rubbing the back of her head.

"Huh?" Ethan and Conner both cocked their heads in confusion.

"I'll explain later. Haley, isn't there something you need to tell us?"

"I need to make sure that you're okay first. Because this isn't going to make you feel much better."

"Now you've got me worried." Ethan told the computer whiz.

"I'm fine, Haley. Tell us." Kira pulled her feet up under her and set her hands in her lap. Trent sat down next to her, and the other two sat down on the floor in front of them.

"Well, I guess I should start off with this: Tommy knew that he was going to die today."


	5. Chapter 5

"Tommy knew that he was going to die today. The last time his powers were active, he was leading a team of all red rangers on a dangerous mission to the moon. While he was there, I was keeping watch over some of the things he was doing with Anton Mercer."

"Did you know what he was doing?" Conner wondered.

"At the time, no. He eventually told me, but that will come later. Try not to ask more questions so _I_ don't get confused." Haley smiled a little, and the rangers nodded in agreement.

"One of his inventions, which happened to be the Super Thunder Blaster, was still in need of a power source. Tommy had asked me to analyze it and see what kind of power it would need. I traced what I thought he needed to something that just happened to be on the moon."

Haley now rummaged through a chest that sat in middle of the lab. The teens realized that they had never seen it before.

"This is a moonstone gem." She showed them a rock that was dark gray with a slight tint of green to it. "Simple, yes, but very easy to mistake as just a rock, so it hasn't been discovered. Only with the proper heat scanner can it be found. Once Tommy's mission was over, he headed out to find this gem."

"Would…" Ethan started, but Conner elbowed him in the ribs, silencing him with an "Oh, yeah".

"The gem was hidden away in a cave. As Tommy neared, the ghost of an Indian Warrior told him to turn around and go back. Tommy didn't listen and proceeded through the cavern. Just as he was about to grab a gem, the warrior returned. He said that the one who took a moonstone would be destroyed in his final battle as a sacrifice for the ones he was close to.

"When Tommy got back, he told Mercer and eventually Smitty all about it. They ignored the warrior's warning, thinking it nothing but a petty trick. Tommy couldn't let it go. The three of them were able to create a copy of the stone, which was then broken into five separate parts."

"Our gems!" Ethan suddenly exclaimed. He pulled out his dino gem, and motioned for the others to follow along. They spun the pieces a few times, but were able to find where the original stone had been cut. Only one part was missing.

"Where is Dr. O's gem?" Kira wondered.

"Still in his morpher. He told you from the beginning the only way to take the gem was when you were destroyed. Zeltrax and Mesagog were the only other ones who knew that the gem was there, so for now, its safe. May I continue?"

The teenagers nodded as they set down their gems.

"After the Island explosion, Tommy went back to the Moon with the original moonstone. He had kept it safe at his apartment, a constant reminder that he wanted to go back and have things explained. Tommy gave the warrior the stone in exchange for and explanation of what he had said years ago."

"But if he returned the stone, didn't that mean that what the ghost said wouldn't come true?" Conner asked.

"That's what Tommy thought too. But since him and Mercer had copied the stone's power, the prophecy was still going to be in effect."

"There's an actual prophecy to it?" Trent questioned.

Haley began to dig through the chest again, and pulled out an old scroll. She unrolled it, sending dust through the air, and began to read.

_One who is wise  
And helps at all times  
Will come for the stone  
And change it to bone_

_ Though it is returned  
A mark is still burned  
And the one who is wise  
Must now die_

_ Other sets he will meet  
Before he does greet  
The final group of three  
Who will have one special key_

_ This key will become  
A monster's kingdom come  
They will endure all  
But all groups must fall_

_ When one comes in aid  
Send them away  
And give of your life  
For the end of all strife_

_ So you know who this is  
And when you must lead  
Listen for special words  
"We cannot do the deed"_

There was silence throughout the whole lab. The rangers could only give Haley blank stares.

"Could you read it again?" Trent said, looking over at Ethan to see if the other whiz had understood.

"Or just say it in terms we understand." Ethan told her.

"Something that doesn't rhyme, maybe?" Conner suggested. Haley gave out a frustrated sigh.

"He knew that Tommy would come and use the power to create the dino gems. But even though Tommy returned the original, he still had to die. There was going to be one group that would end all the evil, but Tommy would meet many others. The way he would know this final group was that none of them would want to become rangers."

"That's what he meant!" Kira gasped.

"I'm sorry?" Haley asked.

"When I was out cold, Dr. O talked to me as a spirit. He was trying to explain about how he never thought he would become a teacher, or have to deal with rangers. And he told me he stayed because "I didn't want to stay either". That makes perfect sense!"

"Maybe to you…" Ethan muttered.

"Wait, you talked to Dr. O?" Trent cut his teammate off and turned to Kira.

"He said there was something he had to tell me, and he was trying to explain. But I could only stay for a little while, so I left. He said he would call me back though." The yellow ranger turned to Haley. "Do you know how he's doing it?"

"No, I don't. I've never heard of talking to spirits in dreams before. Maybe…"

Conner and Trent both opened their jaws wide to let out a yawn. Haley looked down at the watch on her wrist.

"It's getting late. Let what I've told you sink in, and I'll explain more tomorrow." The teens stood, ready to head off to a warm bed. "Tommy had all this planned out, so I have to make sure I get this right. And Kira," the girl turned to look at the older woman. "If you talk to him again, let me know." Kira nodded, and the five ranger left the lab.

* * *

Author's Note: So, what do you think? Any questions (that I can answer in reason) or confusion, please let me know so that I can help you understand. Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment!


	6. Chapter 6

"So you understand now?"

Kira opened her eyes to the familiar voice and sat up. The same bed, the same room, and the same chair that Dr. O now sat in.

"The 'you didn't want to stay' thing? Yeah, I get that. But you were trying to tell me something else. About how…" The mentor looked up, his eyes soft and kind. Kira's words melted off her tongue.

"Much you mean to me." Dr. O finished. Kira could only nod, the look she was receiving so intense that her heart was starting to pound. "You were something that I couldn't understand."

Kira cocked her head to the side, slightly confused by this comment.

"Keeping to yourself, not worried about what others thought; it wasn't what I expected from a senior in high school. And you were already so serious about your music, so sure that's what you wanted to do. I had never met anyone like you."

This made Kira smile, and her mentor smiled back at her.

"What was it?" Kira wondered. "That made me important."

"How…" Dr. O paused, thinking of the word, "devoted you were. You believed in Trent when no one else did. You made sure that everyone was safe in fights. For a girl who didn't want any part in the ranger business, you did a good job of keeping the team together."

Kira slid closer to the end of the bed, enjoying the feeling of being in Dr. O's presence again. Even for the past 12 hours, she had missed the reassuring smile and the knowledge that he carried.

"I couldn't figure you out, either." Kira admitted. "You were so…uptight, keeping to yourself, not letting us get close. You told us to leave and forget everything."

"That was from experience. The first set of teens that I met, they stayed because they didn't know what else to do. The other three started to leave, and then thought maybe that wasn't right, so they stayed."

"You met four teams before us?" Kira's shock showed clearly on her face.

"Yep. They all wandered off into the woods, fell into the sinkhole, opened up the secret door to the lab, and took the dino gems. And all…"

"Wait!" The yellow ranger cut her leader off. "Are you saying that you took all of them on some kind of "adventure" to the museum."

"Not all were the same. Only one of the groups was in detention. One was a study group, one was an advanced class that felt like they knew too much to be in my class, and the last one before you, Conner, and Ethan was just three kids who were walking randomly through the woods."

"Did you connect with them?" Kira was fascinated with the idea of meeting teenagers who were potential rangers, but never made it far enough to try.

"I thought I had with the advanced class. They were able to challenge each other, and me, while learning even more that I had been able to find out. But all of them were willing to accept ranger duty, so I had to turn them down."

"And what happened, when you said 'Oh, sorry, you can't be rangers now'?"

"They had their memory erased and were moved over a town or so. Most of them were disappointed when I said that it wasn't going to work out."

Kira tucked her knees up to her chest and crossed her arms over them. She smiled at Dr. O, never fully realzing that she was sitting here, in this moment, just talking to him, even though he was dead.

"I know there's more you want to know." The mentor told her. "And since you're sleeping, there's a longer time that you can stay. So, ask away."

"About this prophecy." The words were out of Kira's mouth before he had even finished. She wanted to know so badly. "It said you had to sacrifice yourself. Were you…forced to, or did you really want to?"

"The warrior told me that it would happen whether I wanted it to or not. He held special magic that would take over my body and make the words come out of my mouth and the explosion go off."

"What did happen in there?" Kira turned red slightly in the cheeks. She felt bad, always asking questions and then cutting him off. There was just so much to know.

"It was a self-destruct mode, just like our zords have. I knocked Zeltrax out, took off my helmet and put the note inside, then ran over and pushed the button on the panel. But, when I told you to leave, and I would be right behind you, I wanted you to get out. I was ready to end the evil once and for all, and I knew that I couldn't let you get hurt in the process."

Somehow, Kira was even closer now to her mentor. He seemed to have leaned in too, and their faces were only feet apart.

"I thought you weren't supposed to pick favorites," Kira whispered.

"I didn't. In an all male team, you're my favorite female." Dr. O replied. He was right next to her, his lips barely on top of hers. Kira's heart started to beat like a drum. She had never felt so excited and so relieved to finally be taking a step forward…

And then Dr. O moaned in pain and fell back into his chair. Kira jumped up and knelt next to him as the mentor held his stomach and bent over, trying to hide the contortion of his face.

"What's wrong?" Kira asked.

"Go get the others. Someone found my body."


End file.
